Monthly Archives: February 2014

The in basket: Carol Seig of Silverdale had some trouble
recently traveling on the Highway 3 northbound off-ramp to Newberry
Hill Road that she felt could have been avoided if the highway
striping had been less worn.

In addition to contacting me, she made some calls to the state
Department of Transportation, where an employee told her that the
state has recently gone to a less toxic kind of striping paint in
the interests of the environment, but that it was less durable than
the former paint so the stripes don’t last as long.

I hadn’t heard that before, so I asked WSDOT if it was true.

The out basket: Claudia Bingham-Baker of the WSDOT’s Olympic
Region replied, “About 14 years ago, WSDOT switched from an
oil-based paint to a water-based paint because of changing
environmental requirements. I asked our regional paint guy about
consequences from that change.

“He noted that the biggest change is a reduced weather window in
which to paint the highways. He said the oil-based paint could be
applied in damp conditions, whereas water-based paints can be
applied only in dry weather.

“In our seven-county region, our paint crews are responsible for
painting 3,800 ‘line miles’ (highway miles that need to be painted,
including skip-stripes on multi-lane highways). When crews used the
moisture-tolerant oil paints, they could restripe the entire region
every year. With the reduced work window for water-based
paints, they can restripe about 70-80 percent of the region every
year.

“He was hesitant to say whether one type of paint lasted longer
than another, since several variables can affect the life of a
paint stripe, including traffic volumes and weather conditions,
both during and after paint applications.

“By the way,” Claudia said, “paint is only one product we use to
delineate roadways. Most painted highway stripes are 4 inches wide,
but there are areas that require 8-inch stripes (gore points at
freeway ramps, stripes to separate HOV lanes from mainline lanes,
etc.). At those locations, we use a plastic-based product for the
stripes.”

The in basket: I find radio and TV traffic reports to be more
befuddling than helpful, mostly because I rarely know enough about
where they’re talking about.

When I tried extra hard recently to divine the meaning of a
couple of TV traffic reports about something going on along I-5,
they were showing emergency lights (on one occasion) and snow (on
the other) “on I-5 at the Pierce County line.” The image was from a
state Department of Transportation camera, and the legend didn’t
say whether it was Pierce County’s border with King or Thurston
county. I recognized the landscape as being at the King County line
one time, but the other was at night and I couldn’t tell where it
was.

I asked if there is a technical reason they didn’t make clear
which Pierce County line they mean.

The out basket: No technical reason, says Claudia Bingham Baker
of the Olympic Region of state highways. It’s just that there is no
freeway traffic camera at the Thurston County line, only the one
just past Fife at the King County line.

“The closest camera to the south of that (Thurston) line is
labeled Nisqually, and to north it’s labeled Mounts Road,” she
said.

“We will be installing more cameras this summer and next, so we
may need to look at more clearly delineating county lines at that
point,” she added.

The in basket: Kathy Weigel e-mails to say, “I was wondering
about the intersection of Patten and South Lafayette Avenue in West
Bremerton.

“When traveling east on Patten towards Lafayette, you come to a
stop sign. There you will see a flashing yellow light. “Aren’t
these types of yellow lights usually used for warning, not for
stopping?

“It has been that way as long as I have lived here. It seems it
would make more sense to have flashing red lights, as it has a stop
sign. Just wondering.”

The out basket: The light is a warning, says Gunnar Fridriksson,
Bremerton’s managing street engineer.

“The beacon is there to call attention to the directional sign
on the east side of the intersection,” he said. “My
understanding is that there were a number of accidents here with
people missing this sign and driving into the lawn and residence
just beyond where the beacon is located now.

“Lafayette in this section is a very old concrete street with a
rolled curb and driveway for the residence almost directly across
from the intersection, so a motorist would not even feel much of a
bump rolling over the curb. “I believe we have records on this
beacon going back to 1962 or so. It is likely older than
that.

The in basket: J. B. Holcomb of Bainbridge Island e-mailed
to described an incident on Thursday as he was driving north on
Highway 305 just beyond the Agate Pass Bridge.

“I was driving at 45 mph and was two or three seconds away from
a transit bus stopped at a bus stop (ostensibly),” he said.

“That yo-yo driver immediately pulls out in front of me,” J.B.
said. “I had to dynamite my brakes and veer to the left to avoid
collision with his bus. I just, and I do mean just by
inches, avoided a head-on collision with an on-coming driver, who,
thankfully, took protection of his own in timely turning slightly
right.

“I noticed that the driver snapped on the yellow ‘yield’ sign on
the rear of the bus after I started braking. I immediately
laid on my horn while behind him for about two miles indicating my
displeasure and stopped beside him at the next stop with my window
rolled down for a few not-so-kind words. He paid no attention
to me.

“I thought about calling 911 to complain to the State Patrol
about his reckless driving, but I did not, because my
thought was that the ‘yield’ sign exempts that yo-yo from any such
claim.

“Should I have? Whatever the rule, he surely does not have
the right to place following drivers at risk of his or her life in
order to be able to pull out, even with a ‘yield’ sign on!!!”

The out basket: State law does require drivers to yield to a
transit bus reentering traffic, but the bus driver must do so
carefully. Transit executives also demand it as a matter of
policy.

We have only J.B.’s side of the incident, as State Trooper Russ
Winger noted when I asked him about the likely assignment of blame
had the bus and J.B.s car collided. It probably wouldn’t have done
much good to phone 911 about the close call.

But, Russ continued, “I can tell you this much. All vehicles,
including transit buses, even police vehicles, must ‘safely’ enter
the roadway from the shoulder, side streets etc. Signs and flashing
lights do not give immunity to the driver. All drivers have that
responsibility.

“If we were, in fact, investigating a collision, we would gather
as much information and evidence as possible, including witness
statements hopefully, to arrive at some sort of logical and factual
conclusion. If these factors led us to believe that the transit
vehicle did not give sufficient right of way to the other vehicle –
just pulled out – (he or she) could be found at fault. We would
definitely not just take one driver’s version of the event and make
a decision based on that.

“As for your reader’s actions about following the bus for two
miles, laying on the horn and even trying to confront the other
driver, well, I believe you already know the WSP’s feeling on that
type of behavior.”

If you don’t, they discourage it, and can ticket for unlawful
use of the vehicle’s horn, which state law says must be used only
to alert drivers of an imminent. danger, as was mentioned in a
January Road Warrior column.

Transit Executive Director John Clauson asked for B.J.’s contact
information so that he might inquire further into the incident.

The in basket: Becky Argyle has a question about handicapped
parking in front of a new Subway sandwich shop on Werner Road,
across from the Bremerton car dealerships.

There are two handicapped parking pavement markings in front of
the store, but one has a white line running through it, giving the
appearance of two parking spots were it not for the painted image
on the asphalt.

“I would guess they took a handicapped space and converted it
into two parking spots and never painted it correctly,” she
said.

“if there is any marking of a handicapped space in the parking
space, is it illegal to park there if you do not have a tag, even
if it appears that its not a real marked spot?” Becky asked.
“I always hesitate to park there, but there is hardly any
parking along their building.”

The out basket: Becky’s guess is correct. To be a valid
handicapped space, it must be marked with a vertical sign in front
of it, either on a wall or post.. There is no such sign on the
space with the line painted through it.

There is a valid handicapped space several feet to the right,
which has the pavement marking AND the vertical sign. You can’t
legally park there without a handicapped plate or placard.

Deputy Sheriff Scot Wilson said it appears the building owners
are just waiting for the wheelchair logo on the pavement of the
first space to wear away in time. The KCSO Citizens on Patrol
volunteers, who patrol and cite for improper use of handicapped
spaces won’t cite for parking in the Subway space without the
vertical sign.

The in basket: Jo Clark writes, “Traveling east on Bucklin Hill
Road at night I was in a line of cars and saw a flashing light
on each side of the road – a new pedestrian crossing at Olson
Road.

“The first car (I was probably #3 or #4) stopped and a man
quickly crossed the road. As soon as he crossed, traffic
began to move again, including me, but the light continued to flash
even after I passed it.

“This seems to be a new traffic signal. I haven’t seen this
type anywhere before. If there is no one trying to cross but
the light is still flashing, should the motorist wait till the
light goes off, or only wait till the pedestrian has crossed?”

The out basket: These are a fairly new traffic device here, akin
to the in-pavement flashers in a crosswalk in downtown Port
Orchard, but mounted on a pole. They are designed to call attention
to a crosswalk and someone crossing in it.

A driver need stop only if there is a pedestrian in or poised to
enter the crosswalk, regardless of the flashing lights. The rule is
the same as at any crosswalk.

The county has put them at the two entrances to South Kitsap
Regional Park in South Kitsap, on Central Valley Road at Foster
Road, in front of Klahowya Secondary School, where the Clear Creek
Trail crosses Bucklin Hill Road and just up the hill at Olson. They
don’t flash unless a pedestrian pushes a button to activate them,
so it’s not surprising Jo hasn’t noticed any of them. The only time
I’ve seen one flash is when I pushed the button myself to test one
of those at the SK park.

“The lights, officially called Rectangular Rapid Flash Beacons,
are a newer device that has interim approval from the Federal
Highway Administration,” says Jeff Shea, Kitsap County’s traffic
engineer. “The lights are devised to give the crossing more
attention from motorists. They have no legal
standing. The legal requirement is predicated on the
pedestrian being in the crosswalk.”

They are set to allow a walker time to travel 3.5 feet per
second for the length of the crossing and about three or four
seconds are added to either side of the crossing time to ensure
pedestrians traffic has stopped for them, Jeff said.

So they will keep flashing well after a pedestrian crosses while
running or otherwise making fast tracks.

The in basket: I came across an old e-mail from 2011 from the
State Patrol warning motorcycle riders that motorcycle helmets have
to meet certain standards to protect the rider.

It said to be sure your helmet “is DOT approved.”

“The Department of Transportation sets standards that
manufacturers must follow when designing a helmet, it said.
Proof that a helmet meets the standards is “permanently affixed to
the outside of the helmet. Beware of DOT stickers – a sticker is
not a permanent fixture.” There also will be a permanent label
inside the helmet saying who made it, when and out of what
material.

“A proper helmet is typically heavier than a novelty helmet due
to the one-inch thick inner form lining,” it said. It also will
have a thick chin strap that fits well and is riveted to the
helmet.

The news release was couched in terms of injuries that might
result from having a substandard helmet, but it didn’t say whether
you can be cited for riding with one that doesn’t meet
requirements.

The out basket: State Trooper Russ Winger said you can be, and
can even be pulled over if an officer suspects your helmet doesn’t
meet standards.

But as a practical matter, citations of this kind usually result
when a motorcyclist is stopped for violating some other traffic law
or not wearing a helmet at all.

“If a trooper suspects that a helmet worn by a rider is merely a
‘shell,’ the trooper can (make a) stop and inspect the helmet.
Troopers are not going to rely on a ‘DOT STICKER’ on the outer
shell as proof that the helmet meets the requirements. Stickers can
be removed, painted over etc.

“If a helmet looks very thin and cheaply made, it probably is
not conforming to these standards. A citation can certainly be
written for violations of the statute,” he said.

The in basket: Sarah Harrison writes, “I am concerned about
Highway 166 heading out of Port Orchard. I have noticed several
slumps in the road for more than a month, and it seems to stretch
for quite a ways this time.

“It started with dips at the edge, and now the paved road is
cracking. Most of this currently lies outside of the fog line, but
has been steadily progressing towards the road. I know that this
has been a regular problem, and the road has been repaired several
times.

“Are there any future plans for a permanent solution? Adding
some kind of heavy duty seawall or something else to reduce the
erosion seems like a reasonable idea, instead of repeated patching
and repaving.

“I would not want to wait for tragedy before deciding it is time
for a permanent solution,” she said.

I hadn’t noticed what Sarah had, but found at least three
fractures that had slumped in the shoulder pavement along the
straightaway just west of Ross Point when I went to look. Then
there’s the slump in the westbound roadway on the east side of Ross
Point, which was built up with additional asphalt last year. I
can’t tell if it’s subsided any further.

Since the area west of Ross Point dropped away toward the water
and was closed for months a couple of decades ago, I asked if there
any special monitoring of this highway for conditions that could
lead to slides from under the highway.

The out basket: Claudia Bingham-Baker of the state’s Olympic
Region of state highways says, “We are aware of several areas along
SR 166 that tend to settle. Our maintenance crews keep a
close eye on those areas and repair pavement sections as
needed.

“WSDOT keeps a statewide database on slide/settlement areas, and
fund long-term fixes to those areas on a priority basis. As you may
imagine, the need for permanent repairs outweighs the funding for
permanent repairs.

“The settlement areas along SR 166 do not rate high enough at
this point to fund a permanent fix. Based on your reader’s
observations, maintenance crews will go out to the area again to
see if more pavement patches are needed.”

The in basket: Carol Dudley thinks the recent reworking of the
intersection of Mullenix and Bethel-Burley rods in South Kitsap has
made things worse.

“The problem,” she said, “was a dangerous left turn off of
Mullenix onto Bethel-Burley or a left off of Bethel-Burley onto
Mullenix.

“We had months and months of reconstructing the entire corner to
add a turn lane on both Bethel-Burley and Mullenix and a free right
turn lane on Mullenix. The road (was) built up to accommodate
the new reconfiguration.

“While the increased lighting is a plus I feel no safer turning
left off of Mullenix on to Bethel-Burley as I have to
consider two lanes of traffic and a blind spot.

“As I sit on Mullenix waiting to turn left, the combination of
the cars on my right pulling forward to turn right and blocking my
view and then when there are more than two cars waiting to turn
left onto Mullenix, I cannot see cars coming down the hill south
doing about fifty miles per hour.

Add to that the common occurrence of a large truck coming out of
Morrison Gravel and to be safe you can wait a long time to be sure
you see everything.

“In my view, the Bethel-Burley intersection prior to this fix
felt safer and a blinking light would have added caution to the
situation.

The out basket: I grew up about a hundred yards from this
intersection, and was amazed at the amount of traffic there as I
watched it one Monday afternoon, It’s certainly not the quiet
little corner I remember.

Jeff Shea, Kitsap County’s traffic engineer, says, “The driving
force for the project was the number of rear-end collisions that
occurred for southbound traffic turning left onto Mullenix.

“The left turn lane was designed and built to get turning
traffic out of the way of through traffic on Bethel-Burley. A
flashing beacon would not have been a good fix for this particular
situation. It isn’t a matter of knowing that the intersection
is there, but that traffic has stopped at the intersection to make
the turn.

“The added left turn lane on Mullenix addresses capacity for
those waiting to turn southbound onto Bethel-Burley. We
understand the dilemma of seeing around cars adjacent to you, but
there isn’t a good engineering fix for this
situation. Adjusting the stop line on the lanes won’t improve
the sight lines.

“We recommend that motorists make the turning movement when the
gap between vehicles on Bethel-Burley ensures it is safe to pull
out,” Jeff said.

The in basket: I came across a four-year-old inquiry from Linda
G, that read, “This afternoon, I entered onto Caldart in Poulsbo
behind a North Kitsap school bus. The bus signaled an intention to
turn left at Lincoln, and moved across the double yellow line
before the left turn pocket.

“I wanted to turn left onto Lincoln also, but waited to
move left until the pocket entrance was accessible. Was the bus
driver OK to move left before the left turn pocket opening?

“There is a space shaped by the double yellow lines that I have
always believed was not for drivers, but was a safety barrier of
sorts. What’s the law?”

I dredge up this old question, which I didn’t answer then,
because it meshes somewhat with this recent one from Tom Baker of
Bremerton about the eastbound left turn lane on Werner Road at
National Avenue:

“The striped turn pocket is not long enough to hold the vehicles
that can stack up,” he said. “The choices are to sit in the center
area ahead of the turn pocket, or to extend out into the through
lane, Since the center area ahead of the turn pocket is wide
enough, that is the most popular choice.

“What’s legal here and had Kitsap County considered extending
the turn pocket?”

The out basket: Since the old inquiry came from Poulsbo, I went
to that city’s police chief, Al Townsend, for an answer.

I made a distinction between whether this driver behavior does
or doesn’t result in a collision.

“It technically is illegal to cross the double yellow line,” Al
said. “However, like all traffic issues, officers need to use
discretion and good judgment, much like drivers.

“If the driver’s intent is just to line up into the turn lane
early, either because it’s too short to hold all of the cars that
will turn, or that the vehicle is too large to negotiate the small
lane opening after the double yellows, or the traffic going
straight is backed up past the open turn lane, and the driver can
safely enter the turn lane early (as long as they don’t cross over
the second double yellow that protects the traffic lane of the
opposite direction), then they should be fine.

“When a driver can mitigate his/her intent for this turn lane
and do so in a safe and prudent manner, I don’t see any problem
with it, keeping in mind that the letter of the law is that you
can’t cross over the double yellow line.

“What would likely determine whether someone was ticketed for
that would be whether they did so safely (i.e. not when other cars
are coming at them in the opposite direction, did so slowly,
etc.)

“On the collision portion, if someone does it within the lines,
the person who goes outside of that would likely be listed as the
major contributing factor to the crash. Hence the reason they
should do so slowly and with caution for other drivers.”

State Trooper Russ Winger agreed with Al.

As regards the Werner Road site Tom asks about, Deputy Sheriff
Scott Wilson says, “We recognize that, in many instances, the left
turn pocket is not long enough to hold all vehicles where the
driver wishes to make a left turn onto a perpendicular roadway.
This is especially noticeable during work commute periods and there
are many intersections in the county with this same situation. The
demand has exceeded the engineering design.

“Pulling into the center lane and then waiting in the area
before the turn pocket opening is not a violation that I can find
in the RCW,” Scott concluded.

Lastly county Traffic Engineer Jeff Shea said about National and
Werner (actually it may have become Loxie Eagans Boulevard at that
point), “We will take a look at lengthening the turn lane. This is
a difficult location to lengthen the lane because we are restricted
from widening the road by curb, gutter, and sidewalk on both sides
of the roadway; our pavement width is not adjustable.

“We will have to ensure that we have enough taper length for the
speed and enough lane width for two cars to pass without
sideswiping. These two parameters may limit or restrict how much
lengthening of the turn lane we can do.”